Changeling (A Creepypasta Fanfic)

Chapter 19

I suddenly noticed Jeff crouched down next to the beast's large head. He stared down at her as she panted and returned his gaze. With a quiet voice, he began speaking to her.

"You remember me, don't you? You could have killed me that night, but you didn't. So...thanks for sparing my life. Now we're going to work on saving yours."

A small smile tugged at my lips as I listened to him. It's not often that you see Jeff being so kind. He must really respect these creatures.

I noticed him reaching his hand down and touching her snout. Changeling almost immediately flinched away and hissed again. She then lifted her head up, glancing back at me before fixing her gaze on Jeff.

Jeff slowly reached out again, but this time, Changeling jerked her head back before he could touch her. He watched her for a moment before looking over at me.

"Jack, something's still wrong. Blood is pouring from her mouth."

"What?"

I quickly went over and crouched next to Jeff. He's right. Now I can see her teeth are slick with blood that's dribbling down the sides of her mouth. I leaned closer to try and get a better look.

Changeling tilted her head to the side and opened her jaws a little wider. Now I could see the source of her discomfort. There was a knife jammed into the roof of her mouth with blood trickling down from it.

"Jeff, you see that?" I asked him.

"Yeah. No wonder she's in so much pain."

I carefully reached past her large teeth and touched the hilt of the knife. Changeling instantly jerked her head away with a loud whine. I quickly retracted my hand before being shoved back by one of the smaller Nightstalkers.

It stood protectively in front of her, snarling and snapping at Jeff and me. Another Nightstalker got in front of us, chittering to the one growling at us. The other two Nightstalkers joined in the quarry of chitters and growls.

Jeff and I quietly watched the beasts as they seemed to argue. A small roar from Changeling brought all of their attention to her. Their little fight quickly ceased as they listened to their leader's command.

All four of the smaller Nightstalkers looked at us, lowering their heads and backing away. I glanced at Jeff before going back over to Changeling.

Crouching in front of her again, I noticed the Nightstalker that first got angry at us approach beside me. I looked over at it as it seemed to eye me.

"I know you're worried about her, but I promise I'm not doing anything to hurt her."

The creature seemed to huff in reply. I looked at Changeling again, but before I could do anything, her eyes grew wide and her ears perked up as she turned her head and gazed out into the woods.

Looking around, the other Nightstalkers were doing the same thing. After a moment of silence, the beasts began chittering and snarling. Changeling made a small whimper as she shifted around. She suddenly started struggling to stand up.

"Whoa, wait a minute, you're too injured to be moving around this much," I told her.

She made a small grunt at me as she glanced back out past the trees. Jeff rushed to my side as Changeling began limping alongside her pack away from the direction they were looking in.

Jeff glanced at me and said, "I wonder if those Nighthunters are nearby. I bet that's why Changeling wants to get out of here."

I nodded. "You're probably right. I think the only safe place for them would be the mansion."

Jeff and I rushed to catch up with the pack. We walked beside Changeling as she struggled to move. All the while, more blood poured from her mouth.

"Changeling, I think you should come with us," I told her as we walked. "The safest place for you now is our home. And I really need to finish treating your injuries."

Jeff and I walked slightly ahead of her as we changed course and headed for Slender Mansion. Without any fuss, the entire pack began following us.

We slowly made our way back home. Almost as soon as we entered the clearing around the mansion, everyone came rushing outside. I glanced back to see the pack still right behind us.

We stopped in front of Slender and Changeling almost immediately collapsed. She lied on the ground, breathing heavily as her pack surrounded her.

"Why have you all come back here?" Slender questioned us.

Jeff quickly started explaining, "Those damn Nighthunters are out there searching for Changeling and the others. This is the only safe place for them."

Slender turned his head and looked toward the injured beast. "I suppose they can stay here for now. She does seem to be in pretty bad shape."

"Which reminds me..." I trailed off as I turned toward Changeling.

I went over, crouching in front of her. She seemed to understand what I was going to do. She lifted her head and opened her mouth for me. I hesitantly reached my hand into her large jaws.

I carefully wrapped my fingers around the hilt of the knife, hearing the creature whimper in response. Once I was ready, I yanked the knife out, earning a loud yelp from Changeling as she reeled back.

After a moment, she opened her blood soaked mouth again, allowing me to clean the wound. When it finally stopped bleeding, I put a small, temporary bandage over it before letting her close her jaws again.

"There. I bet that feels much better now, huh?"

Changeling let out a small grunt before laying her head back down. I chuckled slightly at her. She acts like she doesn't care, but I can tell she's grateful. I quickly rechecked her other injuries before taking my medical supplies back inside.